Made in Japan

It’s funny how things that you might think are plain and uninteresting seem to have the best stories. This little donkey cart is a ceramic piece that I remember seeing in my grandmother’s kitchen when I was growing up. It always struck me as just a little knick-knack that she must have picked up somewhere and I never gave it much thought.

In my ongoing search for small stuff to photograph, I found this again and turned it over. On the underside there is a stamp that says: Made in Occupied Japan. This I found to be interesting so, I set it up to take a macro shot and started doing some internet research.

After World War II, from 1947-1952, Japan was occupied by American troops. During this period, there were many items made in Japan for export. Many of these were inexpensive novelties for dime stores like this donkey cart planter, while others were copies of European ceramic favorites.

While these items are considered collectible now, I’m sure that this one is not worth much except in terms of memories from my childhood. Those, as I am sure you would agree, are priceless.

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Author: stgrundy

Photography is my way to capture and share the amazing beauty of God’s handiwork in the people and places that I experience every day. I focus mainly on nature and travel subjects but also do alot of event work for my church and the occasional wedding or portrait session.
My residence is Roswell, Georgia – a northern suburb of Atlanta. I try to get around the Southeast as often as possible and would love to explore other parts of the USA and the rest of the world.
Member of: Roswell Photographic Society
Contributing artist: Getty Images
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